


i like me better (when i'm with you)

by otpsinfiction



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AKA, AU, Angst, But also, Dark!Jughead, Dark!Veronica, Eventual Smut, F/M, Flashbacks, Lovers To Enemies, Mutual Pining, although he's not a cheater, cause she wants to fuck her friends boyfriend, his thoughts are very impure, i feel like jughead is more of a dark!jug, if you dont, im sorry, in the sense that, is that a thing?, jugheads a pretentious pos but really what else is new, okay so i felt the need to update these tags a little, one sided pining, so for that, so i consider that dark, that the other is unaware of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-06-29 07:16:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19825186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otpsinfiction/pseuds/otpsinfiction
Summary: Pretty? He wants to say that ‘pretty’ is a shitty way to describe Veronica Lodge. He wants to say that a million other adjectives comes to mind when he thinks about the raven-haired beauty and he does think about her, a lot. Sunsets are pretty. Butterflies are pretty. Veronica Lodge is ethereal.He wants to say all that but the guilt rising inside him for thinking all those things while he’s with Betty is starting to eat at him and she’s only been back in his life for an hour now.He wants to say all those things, but he doesn’t.He can’t.





	1. Chapter 1

**Manhattan, New York.**  
  
In the darkened dormitory, lying close enough to breathe in her scent, every pretense falls. The façade he shows the world, more specifically the people back home, fades away as his arms wrap around her. Here in this city, in this room, in this bed with _her_ anything feels possible. Hell, he can even escape his childhood nickname, something he never thought possible in Riverdale. If he could stay here forever, tangled up in the sheets with the olive-skinned beauty beside him, he would.

In Riverdale he’s Jughead Jones: the always brooding, former loner and current leader of the Serpent gang. Nothing but Southside trash. But here in New York, he can be whoever the hell he wants. Or at least, that’s how it feels. That’s how _she_ makes him feel.

For a few short weeks every summer, before each school year starts, Jughead gets to play pretend. It started the summer before his freshmen year of high school. His best friend Archie got a new laptop for his birthday and was nice enough to give Jughead his old one to use for the upcoming school year and while browsing the web he came across a 5-week summer writing program in Manhattan.

Ask anyone and they’d tell you Jughead Jones was constantly scribbling away in his notebook, so much so that he had the stacks of already filled journals to prove it. Not that he’d ever let anyone read what was in them. Not even Archie. But writing was the one thing he was passionate about. It was his escape from reality whenever his father would come home drunk or go out on another bender. He’d put pen to paper and create a new, more exciting world to distract himself from the one he was living in. So, when the opportunity to get away from his life in Riverdale presented itself, he jumped on it.

He saved up every cent he had from helping around Pop’s, had a garage sale, walked dogs, did yard work, anything he could to be able to afford the writing program and once he managed to save up enough money he began working on writing the best short story to get him accepted. Luckily, he did. And he’s returned every summer since.

Unfortunately, seeing how this program was only open to high school students and this would be his last year in high school it meant this was his last summer in Manhattan. The last time he’d walk these halls. The last time he’d share a bed with the fifth avenue princess whose head was currently resting on his chest.

“I can’t believe it’s our last day here.” She whispers while her fingertip draws circles on his bare abdomen. “I can’t believe there’s only two weeks of summer left and then it’s senior year.”

“I can’t believe they haven’t caught on to me sneaking into your dorm room every night.” He smirks, running his hands through her soft curls. “Four years of this and we never once got caught. I don’t know if I should be impressed by my skills or worried that they aren’t very good at supervising a bunch of horny teenagers.”

She laughs, and her warm breath tickles his skin. Jughead closes his eyes and tries to commit this all to memory. He wants to remember how soft and smooth her skin feels pressed against him, how incredible she always smells, how her kisses always taste like warm toasted coconut and caramel. A mixture of her lipgloss and the little candies she’s always eating. He wants to remember it all because he knows come tomorrow he’ll never see her again.

Despite their fling reigniting every summer they both knew it always had an expiration date.

And now here they were.

A comfortable silence settles between them. Her almond eyes look up at him from under her long dark lashes and he can already tell she’s able to look right through him. “You’re deflecting again.”

Jughead sighs as he runs a hand down her arm. “Talking about it being our last day here makes it more…”

“Real?” She asks, holding his pensive gaze.

“Exactly.” He nods. “I’m just not ready to leave this place and I’m definitely not ready to go back home.”

“Your hometown can’t be that bad.” She smiles, planting a soft kiss on his collarbone.

“You’d hate it.” He muses, a hint of a smile playing on his lips as he interlocks their fingers together. “Trust me when I say it’s not somewhere I enjoy living.”

“Well what about your friends? The blonde and the redhead in your pictures…I’m sure they make it more bearable.” She brings their interlocked hands up to her mouth and plants a kiss on them as well. “Especially since you’re clearly pining after ponytail.”

“I hate that you call her that.” Jughead chuckles. “And I am not pining after her. She and I are just friends… besides she’s –”

“Been in love with the ginger since first grade, yeah I remember the story.” The brunette rolls her eyes as she finishes his sentence for him. Jughead smiles. “I still think you might have a chance. I mean, you _have_ gotten significantly hotter since last summer.”

He raises an eyebrow, very clearly amused. “Oh yeah?”

“Mhm.” She smirks before sliding one leg over his waist and pulling herself up so she’s straddling him. “You’re definitely better in bed too.”

Jughead laughs, sitting up as he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. “I have you to thank for that.”

“Just remember that when you become a big famous screenwriter.” She smiles as her arms snake around his neck. The bulge in his boxers growing as she slowly grinds against him.

“And make you the leading actress in my big debut film?” He teases, biting his lower lip as he watches her move her hips.

“I like that even better.” She chuckles softly, “But you have to promise you’ll remember me.”

Jughead watches as she slides one of her hands down into the slit of his boxers, wrapping her soft hands around his now hard shaft. He lets out a low grunt as she begins to move her hand up and down. “Do you promise?”

He looks at her with reverence. There was no doubt in his mind that he’d ever forget about her. No matter where he went or what he did in his life she’d always be his favorite unfinished story. His favorite distraction from reality. “How could I not?”

He had no idea what the future held or what would happen tomorrow once he was back in Riverdale but right now he allowed himself to get lost and escape reality one last time.

**Riverdale, Pennsylvania.**

Jughead stands to his feet as the loud shrieking of the metal carriage signals their arrival at the station. He had spent the entirety of his train ride back to Riverdale writing on his laptop. Although his writing program was officially over now he had no intention of stopping. If anything he was even more determined to actually finish a piece.

The doors reluctantly ease open and, just as he was expecting, no one else gets off the train. No one else is even waiting at the station except for two people sat conversing on a bench by the entrance. A blonde and a redhead, perfectly contrasted against each other. Jughead didn’t need to see their faces to know who they were or who they were waiting for.

They’re so enthralled in whatever conversation they’re having that they don’t seem to notice him approaching until he’s a few feet in front of them. He considers just walking past them, just to see if they notice but instead he places his luggage down and clears his throat. “Waiting for someone?”

At the sound of his voice they both look up, wide eyes matching the grins on their faces. “Juggie! You’re finally home!” The blonde, Betty, jumps to her feet and immediately pulls him in for a hug. “Archie and I were just talking about you.”

“All good things I hope.” He’s half joking but neither of them seem to notice.

Archie stands up as well, pulling his best friend in for an embrace. “Good to have you back, man.”

“We were actually talking about maybe throwing you a party.” Betty continues, linking her arm around his. Archie grabs his luggage as the three of them make their way to his dad’s truck. “You know, to celebrate you being home and officially done with the writing program.”

“Or to end the summer with a big blowout.” Archie adds in when he notices the look on Jughead’s face. He hated parties. They both knew that. Or at least, he thought they knew that. Betty gives him a look.

“If you wanna throw a party then by all means but, please, don’t make it about me.” He says sincerely as he watches the two of them share a look. “Guys, I mean it. _Please_. No party for me.”

“Okay fine.” Betty pouts. “No party… for now.”

“Well, we have two weeks left of summer—” Archie changes the subject as he tosses Jug’s duffel bag into the back of the truck before hopping into the driver’s seat. “How should we spend it?”

“Pops.”

“Sweet Water River.”

Jughead and Betty answer simultaneously.  
Archie smiles, “How about both?”

**Two Weeks Later.**  
**Riverdale, Pennsylvania.**

Jughead exhales as his bike comes to a stop in the parking lot of Riverdale High. The last two weeks of summer flew by and now there he was, outside of school, waiting for his only two friends to arrive. Same thing he did every year on the first day of school. But this time around it was different.

Archie was still his best friend but his relationship with Betty had seemingly changed overnight. He tried not to overanalyze it. Tried not to have his doubts about her apparent feelings for him but it was hard not to.

Growing up in Archie’s shadow and watching Betty Cooper fawn over him since they were seven was a hard thing to forget. He wanted to believe her that night at Pop’s, after Archie left to see his girlfriend Josie, when she said she had developed feelings for him the previous year but was too afraid to tell him. That his absence this summer just reassured her that her romantic feelings for him were in fact romantic. It was a lot to take in at the time and if he were being honest he was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Still waiting for her to laugh it off or change her mind. But every day since then she’d been by his side, proving to him that she was serious about them being together, so he took her at her word.

Afterall, Betty Cooper wasn’t a liar. Was she?

He shook the thought from his head as he hung his helmet on the handle bars. She wouldn’t do that and the guilt he felt for even thinking such a thing hung heavy in his heart. This was Betty. Picture perfect, girl-next-door Betty. She was everything he wanted growing up and now he had her… So why did he feel so _off_?

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that at the beginning of summer he was tangled up in the sheets with a different girl in a different city living a different life. A life that now felt like it was a millennium ago. A life he had to let go of now.

He sighs as he begins to make his way to the front of school where Betty and Archie are already waiting for him. They both flash him a wide grin as he approaches them. It takes him a second to realize Josie is standing there as well. They acknowledge each other with a simple nod, trying not to dwell on any of the weirdness. Before he left for Manhattan, Josie and Sweet-Pea were still a thing but evidently that was over now. He made a mental note to ask him about it later on.

A black town car pulls up to the school catching all of their attention for a moment. Jughead’s heart begins to race at the sight of it. It was just like the car he’d drive around in with –

 _No._ He mentally chastised himself, chasing the thoughts away. He had to let it go, let _her_ go. Besides he was with Betty now. And that’s what mattered. Not some fantasy life in New York with a beautiful rich girl he’d never see again. It was time to move on.

“C’mon.” He interlocks his fingers with Betty, pulling her attention away from the black car. “Senior year awaits.”

Betty smiles and nods, and the two begin to make their way inside unaware of the striking raven-haired girl who just stepped out of the car.

__

“Hi, you must be the new girl, Veronica Lodge.”

A friendly voice grabs the brunette’s attention as she watches her town car disappear down the street. She couldn’t believe this was her life now. She sighs and reluctantly turns, slowly meeting the eyes of a classically handsome guy around her age. She smiles, “What gave it away?”

“The luxury town house car.” He admits, a hint of a chuckle in his voice. “No one in this town is rich enough to drive to school in that. Except maybe Cheryl Blossom but her car is red, just like everything else she owns.”

Veronica raises an eyebrow up at him, completely lost but amused nonetheless.

“Sorry, I’m Kevin.” He shakes her hand, “ _Love_ your boots by the way.”

She smiles again, this time genuinely, and links her arm with his. “A man with good taste. I like you already.”

“I also happen to be your tour guide.” Kevin chuckles as they ascend the stairs. “Welcome to Riverdale High.”

Veronica glances around the hall, taking in the posters and all the small groups of students huddled together, blabbering on. “I feel like I just walked onto a John Hughes movie set.”

“That’s actually pretty accurate.” Kevin smiles, “and in case you were wondering the party scene here is basically nonexistent.”

“Seriously?”

“Yup.” Kevin nods, “the most exciting thing we have here is Pops Chock’ lit shoppe. Pretty good burgers though.”

“Sorry, what is a Chock’ lit shoppe and why does it sell burgers?”

Before he can answer her a group of boys hurry past them, all in letterman jackets, one of which bumps into Kevin. “Kev, hey. Where you been all summer?”

“Moose, I –” Kevin stammers and Veronica can quickly catch on that he needs saving. Although the boy, appropriately named Moose, towers over her she steps between them and extends her hand. Putting on her biggest smile she introduces herself. “Hi, I’m Veronica.”

Kevin shoots her a grateful look that goes unnoticed as she still hasn’t looked away from the big burly football player.

“Oh, uh, hi.” Moose extends his hand to shake hers. He seems surprised by her friendliness or surprised that she’s even speaking to him. She can’t tell which. “Uh, nice to meet you.”

“What do we got here?” A different football player joins in as the others hang back. He’s also incredibly good looking and Veronica can’t help but wonder what the fuck is in the water they’re drinking in Riverdale? “Fresh meat?” He jokes, looking her up and down. “I’m Chuck.” He pushes Moose aside and grabs Veronica’s hand.

“I didn’t ask.” She fires back, her smile never wavering as she yanks her hand out of his.

“Feisty.” He licks his bottom lip as he gives her another once over. “I like that.”

“You’re nauseating.” She rolls her eyes, turning her back on the rest of them. Kevin follows quickly behind her, sparing a quick glance in Moose’s direction before catching up to her.

“Sorry I probably should’ve warned you about the guys on the football team.” Kevin shoots her an apologetic look. “I mean, they’re not all bad. Like, Archie and –”

“Your friend Moose.” Veronica smirks, giving him a knowing look. “He seemed nice.”

“Yeah, he’s uh, he’s really…nice.”

“And totally head over heels for you.” She says so matter-of-fact that Kevin begins to stutter.

“N-no we-we’re just friends. I mean it’s…” He sighs, “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated.” Veronica repeats. “Story of my life.”

Kevin smiles, appreciative that she isn’t pushing. He didn’t know if she was just respecting boundaries because they just met or if she was just that kind of person who could tell when you didn’t want to talk about something. Although he was hoping it was the latter, he was glad either way.

“How about I introduce you to some non-nauseating people.” He offers, holding his arm out so she can link hers with his.

Veronica nods, a soft smile returning to her face. “Please do.”

\--

Jughead hastily makes his way through the halls to get to the cafeteria. Unfortunately for him, he has the last lunch wave and he’ll be damned if he misses it because the students of Riverdale High decide they needed to stop every two seconds to have full blown conversations in the middle of the hallway. _These people never leave this Godforsaken town. How much catching up could they possibly do?_

He huffs loudly as he pushes past a group of students congregating outside of the lunchroom and makes a beeline straight for his usual table where Betty was already sitting. “Hey, you getting lunch?”

“Oh, I actually brought lunch.” She smiles, pulling out a brown paper bag. Jughead nods and makes his way over to the line. By the time he returns Archie is already seated at the table, and to Jughead’s dismay, so is Reggie Mantle. He preemptively rolls his eyes before sliding in next to Betty.

“I’m telling you man she’s a fucking smoke show.” Reggie nudges the ginger boy before downing the rest of his energy drink. “And I heard Cheryl talking about how her family is loaded.”

“Who’s loaded?” Jughead gives Betty a confused look as he begins to tuck into his food.

“Oh shit, Donnie Darko, I didn’t see you there.” Reggie smirks, prompting another eye roll from Jughead.

“We have a new student.” Betty chimes in, “She just moved here from New York.”

“Which automatically makes her more interesting than any other chick at this school.” Reggie adds. He opens his mouth to continue but cuts himself off, giving his undivided attention to someone behind Jughead. “Speak of the devil.” Reggie whispers, flashing a smirk at Archie before motioning behind him.

“Hey guys I wanted to introduce you –” Kevin interjects. Already Jughead is bored. He could care less about any new students. Especially ones that were Reggie Mantle’s type. He doesn’t bother turning around, instead he continues to devour his food as the rest of them turn to face Kevin and the mystery girl with him. “This is Veronica Lodge.”

Jughead’s face falls. His mouth hangs with lips parted while his eyes are wide open in a stunned expression. Did he hear that correctly? It wasn’t possible… was it? _A coincidence surely_ , he tried to convince himself as his heart leaped into his throat. His entire body felt frozen in time. He could hear Kevin going around the table introducing everyone until it was his turn. Jughead swallows hard the second his name leaves Kevin’s mouth. Slowly he turns around and immediately their eyes lock.

Even though he just heard Kevin say her name his breath still hitched in his throat at the sight of her. This was more than just two worlds colliding, it felt earth shattering. As his blue-green orbs stared into her almond colored eyes he was bombarded with flashbacks of the two of them tangled up in her sheets, sharing croissants and black coffee and sneaking out at night to watch old silent films together. This couldn’t be happening. He had just spent the last two weeks coming to terms with the fact that he had to let that life go. And now here it was, staring him in the face, looking more stunning than ever.

“Jughead?” Veronica raises her perfectly arched eyebrows as she steals a quick glance at Kevin. “Your name is… _Jug..head_?”

The others quietly chuckle amongst themselves as Veronica tries to wrap her head around his name. Or so they assumed. But Jughead knew the truth. She was just as surprised to see him as he was to see her, and he knew exactly why.

“Nice to meet you.” He offers up and to his surprise Veronica doesn’t call him out on it. In fact, she ignores him completely as she and Kevin sit opposite of him and Betty.

“How’re you liking Riverdale so far?” Archie asks, unable to keep himself from smiling at the beautiful brunette. Jughead does his best to pretend there isn’t an ache in his stomach when her berry colored lips turn up into a smile as she locks eyes with his best friend.

“It’s definitely different than what I’m used to.” She admits as she begins to eat her fruit salad. Jughead finds it hard not to look at her as she talks. “Kind of feels like I’ve been transported into a Truman Capote novel.”

“In Cold Blood.” He says _almost_ under his breath.

Veronica pauses, “Exactly.” A hint of a smile tugs at her lips before she looks away. Jughead ignores the look Betty throws his way and the fact that his heart hasn’t stopped racing since she walked over.

The rest of the lunch wave goes by painstakingly slow. Or maybe it doesn’t, Jughead can’t really tell what’s reality anymore. He wasn’t used to being this close to Veronica but also so far. She may have only been an arms reach away but it’s not like he could reach out and touch her to see if this was actually happening. He had to sit there quietly while his friends and classmates bombarded her with questions, questions he already knew the answers to. He was sure from an outsider’s perspective he was coming off as rude, uninterested or distant but internally he was begging her to look at him, to give him some sort of acknowledgement or reassurance that she didn’t hate him because her being here in Riverdale meant she now knew the truth.

She now knew that he lied to her all four years of them knowing each other.

As the bell rang he quickly stood to his feet to throw away his trash, jumping slightly at the feeling of holding his hand. He almost instinctively pulls away when he sees Veronica drop her eyes to their interlocked fingers but instead he swallows the lump in his throat and turns away.

“She seems nice.” Betty whispers in his ear as they make their way into the hallway.

“Hm?” It takes Jughead a second to catch on to what she’s talking about. His mind was still reeling.

“The new girl.” She clarifies, “Veronica. She seems nice.”

“Oh, um, yeah I guess.”

“Really pretty too.” Betty adds. “Like Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn had a love child.”

“Uh, yeah, I mean I didn’t really pay attention...” He lies. Betty stops and it takes Jughead a second to notice. He whips around to face her when he does realize her absence beside him. “What?”

“It’s okay to admit that someone else is attractive, Jug.” She says with a smirk, returning to his side. “I’m not going to die if you think another girl is pretty.”

Pretty? He wants to say that ‘pretty’ is a shitty way to describe Veronica Lodge. He wants to say that a million other adjectives comes to mind when he thinks about the raven-haired beauty and he does think about her, a lot. Sunsets are pretty. Butterflies are pretty. Veronica Lodge is ethereal.

He wants to say all that but the guilt rising inside him for thinking all those things while he’s with Betty is starting to eat at him and she’s only been back in his life for an hour now.

He wants to say all those things, but he doesn’t.

He can’t.

Instead, he offers up a half-smile and nods sarcastically. “Duly noted.”

__

As the day went on Jughead couldn’t tell if fate was on his side or not. Out of the remaining four classes he had after lunch Veronica was in three of them. She wasn’t seated next to him in any of them, no, that would be too cruel. She was, however, sat in front of him at a diagonal, so if he wanted to he could spend the entire class staring at her and she’d never know. Not that he did. Not without difficulty anyway.

But as the final bell rang he felt a surge of desperation course through him. He needed to know what was on her mind, why she was in Riverdale, if she hated him for being untruthful, why she didn’t seem to care while he was slowly going insane…

As he watched her get up from her seat to pack her things away he opened his text messages and scrolled towards the bottom. The last they texted was the beginning of the summer. She asked him if he was still coming and he replied there was no where else he’d rather be. Ten weeks ago. He takes a deep breath and quickly types out a message.

 **Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe. 10. Please meet me.**  
  
He watches her pause as she glances down at her phone but she doesn’t respond. She doesn’t even glance in his direction.

__

Pop’s is pretty much empty when Jughead strolls in at 9:45. Aside from a few workers behind the counter and a couple of truckers just passing through, he’s the only one inside and that’s exactly what he was counting on. And seeing as how Pop’s is normally where he’d spend his nights, huddled into a booth in the far corner, hunched over in front of his laptop, no one bats an eye when he enters and makes a b-line for the back. While he’s waiting for Veronica to show up they bring him his usual and leave him be for the rest of the night.

It’s 10:28 when the door finally opens. Jughead takes a deep breath as she comes into view. Her long raven locks cascade down past her shoulders almost blending in with the black cloak she was adorning. She was the only person he knew of that could pull that thing off.

Veronica begins to scan the empty diner, offering up a polite smile to the waitress who shoots her a curious look, before she turns and locks eye on him. She slowly approaches him and he can feel his heart begin to race in his chest.

“Veronica –”

“Color me shocked that Riverdale’s very own Prospero wanted to meet up.” She cuts him off, holding his gaze. A beat of silence passes before she lets out a sigh. “What’s this about, Jones? Or oh, I’m sorry, should I say Jughead, because apparently that’s your actual name.”

“I just—I wanted to explain.”

“Explain that you’re a liar?” Veronica crosses her arms over her chest. “You told me you were rich.”

“No, no I never said that I was rich I just didn’t say that I was poor.”

“Oh don’t give me that bullshit. Complacency is just as bad as lying.” She shakes her head in disbelief, “You allowed me to believe you were rich and didn’t bother correcting me when I assumed.”

“It’s rude to correct people.” He jokes, “Or so I’ve been told.”

“This isn’t funny and your sarcasm isn’t cute, it’s obnoxious.”

“Look…” Jughead sighs, pulling off his beanie to run a hand through his hair. “I didn’t meant to lie to you.”

“Yes, you did!” Veronica snaps. “You lied about Betty. You said you weren’t pining after her and here we are two weeks later and she’s your girlfriend.”

“I didn’t lie about Betty. I really did think she was in love with Archie. When I came back she told me she had feelings for me but was too afraid to tell me before I left.”

“How convenient.” Veronica rolls her eyes. “You also lied about where you’re from. You told me you were from a town in Connecticut and last time I checked this is Pennsylvania. Why would you even lie about something so insignificant? I mean are you even a writer or was that a lie too?”

“Okay, yeah, you’re right. Okay?! I lied about where I’m from but that’s only because I didn’t wanna be ‘Jughead Jones’ even if only for a few weeks out of the year.”

“What’s wrong with being Jughead Jones?”

He scoffs. “Tell me this… if I had shown up there in a Serpent Jacket and this stupid beanie would you have even given me a second glance?”

Veronica’s face falls. “After four summers together do you honestly think that little of me? That I’d find out you were poor and what? Toss you aside like you meant nothing?”

“I don’t know I mean you are a Lodge, aren’t you?”

The words come out before he can stop them. Thick and cruel like poison. The look on her face tells him everything he needs to know. He crossed a line.

“Veronica, I’m sorry I—”

“Go to hell.” She cuts him off as she pushes herself up. When she’s a few feet away she stops and turns to him. “And for what it’s worth, dickhead, I never cared if you had money or not. I liked you for you… but I guess that’s where I went wrong cause I never really knew you, did I?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Four Years Ago**  
**Manhattan, New York**

Jughead’s hands shook nervously as he balled them up by his side. He wasn’t in Riverdale anymore. The tall buildings and bustling streets confirmed as much. But even as he pushed his way into the prestigious Manhattan Prep. school, he couldn’t believe he was actually there. The floors were an intricate marbled pattern and the wallpaper looked like it had been imported from somewhere fancy that he’d never visit. He watched as a group of students, assumingly his peers for the summer, congregated outside in the hall all talking animatedly about what the summer would bring. They seemed to know each other already or maybe that was just how the elite interacted. He wouldn’t know.

He had been there for all of 10 minutes and he already felt like an outsider. _Great._ He thought. _Another place I don’t fit in._

An older man in a suit, that no doubt coast more than Jughead’s entire trailer home, makes an announcement before he has the chance to fully commit to a pity party. After checking in with faculty to get their room assignments the students are to convene in the dining area to _mingle and get to know one another_. His words not Jughead’s.

Jughead hangs back, allowing everyone else to go ahead of him, for no particular reason other than not being in any rush to “mingle”. He was here to perfect his writing skills. Not make friends with snobby rich kids. If this were Riverdale, he’d skip the mingling portion of the evening all together. But he was in a new place and despite his brooding exterior, he wanted to make a good impression. Not on his peers, no, he couldn’t give a fuck less about them, he wanted to get in good with the teachers. His hope was that if he made enough connections maybe when he finally graduated Riverdale High he’d have some rather impressive letters of recommendations to give the admissions people of NYU.

“Name?” An older woman sat behind a table outside of the dining hall asks him as she stares down at the roster in front of her.

He sighs in anticipation of what’s to come. He knows he has to give her his real name. His full name. And he knows that when he does the look of judgment on her face will be too hard for her to hide and too hard for him to ignore. “Forsythe Pendleton Jones III.”

Jughead holds his breath, waiting for a reaction. But it never comes. She doesn’t even blink twice. “Alright Mr. Jones, you’re in the V wing. Room 203.” She glances up at him momentarily to hand him his key, a handful of pamphlets, an envelope thicker than an algebra text book, a name tag sticker and a marker. “And good luck this summer.”

Jughead nods, albeit a little taken aback. He shuffles over to the corner where he’s out of sight, using the wall as something hard for him to write his name on. He instinctively begins to write ‘Jughead’ but stops before he adds a ‘U’. Glancing around he knew this wasn’t a place he could be “Jughead”. No one would take him seriously. So instead he chooses a different moniker. One that won’t make him more of an outsider than he already is. One that won’t make the next five weeks hell for him.

_Jones._

He takes a few deep breaths, shoving all the stuff he was just given into his laptop bag before reluctantly rounding the corner to head into the dining hall. He stops, however, when he notices a commotion outside the entrance of the school. All he can see through the flashing lights is a black luxury townhouse car. The faculty members sat behind the table quickly stand to their feet and make their way to the front. Jughead’s more intrigued than ever when a woman and her daughter are ushered through the chaos. They look vaguely familiar but Jughead can’t quite put his finger on where he’s seen them before.

“Mrs. Lodge we weren’t sure if we should be expecting you.” The woman who had just given Jughead his room key is the first one to speak.

“Yes, well, Veronica decided this is where she’d rather be this summer.” The woman, who Jughead now knows as Mrs. Lodge, sighs in frustration as she looks over her daughter. And it’s then that Jughead gets a good look at her.

She’s small in stature with a pixie-like face to match. Her jet-black hair perfectly contrasts against her olive complexion, sitting just above her shoulders. Her big brown almond eyes, framed by her thick dark lashes, dance around the room from pillar to pillar as she takes the atmosphere in. But unlike Jughead she doesn’t marvel at it’s luxuriousness. She doesn’t look impressed. She looks somewhat… bored?

And when her eyes lock on him his breath hitches in his throat. She was stunning and he never felt so small.

“Veronica.” Mrs. Lodge calls out to her daughter, breaking their staring contest with a hand on her shoulder. “Do me a favor and stay out of trouble, mija. With everything happening with your father the last thing we need is to give the press more to talk about.”

It’s then Jughead realizes where he’s seen them before. They were on the cover of the tabloids Kevin’s always showing Betty. She was the daughter of Hiram Lodge. An industrialist and the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, Lodge Industries. And one of the richest men in the world.

Jughead swallows hard. If he felt out of place before he was in a different realm now.

Wanting to avoid any more accidental eye contact he slips inside the hall and disappears into the crowd.

__

He’s not sure what he’s expecting when he lets himself into what will be his home for the next five weeks but what he wasn’t expecting was an empty dorm room. He just assumed that he’d have a roommate but seeing as how there were only50 students attending this summer program and they had an entire empty campus it made sense that each kid would get their own space. Still, it didn’t take away from the eeriness of it.

He does his best to ignore the grumbling of his stomach as he unpacks his suitcase. The hors d’œuvres they served in the dining hall were just that. Hors d’œuvres. Tiny crackers with smoked salmon and things he had never even heard of. They tasted fine, sure, but they did nothing to suppress his appetite. Somehow, he felt hungrier than he was before he stuffed his mouth with fancy bruschetta and watercress canapés.

He fishes through his bag hoping he’d find a snack of some sort, something to hold him off until the morning but to no avail. His stomach gurgles louder as he reaches down to pull off his shoes. He stops and sighs before grabbing his key and heading down to the dining hall. They had to have _something_ to eat.

__

Without the herd of wealthy teens and faculty the dining hall almost seems small. Maybe not small per say, but definitely not as threatening as it felt earlier. Jughead remains stealth as he sneaks into the kitchen, grateful that although he only had Archie’s hand-me-downs packed in his suitcase, he brought his own _very_ worn in shoes that held little to no grip making it easy for him to slip and slide out of places he shouldn’t be in. He didn’t know what would happen if they caught him sneaking around after lights out, but he didn’t want to find out. He was trying to make a good impression after all. He just needed some food first.

He opens the door to one of the walk-in coolers, the dim light brightening up the almost pitch-black room.

“You won’t find anything good in there.”

Jughead jumps at the sound of her voice completely catching him off guard. He whips around to find the source and is surprised to see the girl from earlier, Veronica. She’s sat crisscross on the counter, wearing a deep purple, silk pajama set with a container of grapes on her lap.

The 14-year-old’s he knew back home went to sleep in oversized t-shirts or frilly pink cotton pajamas like Betty did. They didn’t wear lace and silk. He catches his breath as she holds out the container of grapes to him, offering him some.

Jughead cautiously takes a handful, popping a few into his mouth as she continues to speak. “Since the program doesn’t technically start until Monday, food shipment and the kitchen staff don’t arrive until Sunday. That’s why the meet and greet was catered tonight.”

She says it so confidently that he takes her at her word. She could be lying through her teeth for all he knew but for whatever reason, he didn’t think she’d do that. He believed her.

“That sucks.” He mumbles under his breath, stealing a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She’s staring blankly ahead, mind off in some other universe. One more interesting than sharing grapes in the dark with a stranger, no doubt.

When he’s on his last grape he pushes himself to his feet not sure if he should bid her a goodnight or just pretend their encounter never happened. He opts for the latter, clearing his throat as he makes his way to the door.

“You like Chinese food?”

Jughead pauses. Was she talking to him? He turns to face her and this time she’s looking right at him. The same way she was when they locked eyes earlier. No shit she was talking to him. He was the only one in the room. And even though he heard her clear as day he still utters the most intelligent remark he can think of. “Huh?”

“Chinese food.” She repeats. She slides off the counter and approaches him. “Stupid question I know. Who doesn’t like Chinese food, right? But I mean in the off chance that you are some uncultured barbarian I figured it’s best not to assume.”

Jughead blinks several times. It takes him a second to realize what’s happening. To realize what she’s said. “Oh, I’m definitely an uncultured barbarian.” He jokes nervously, hoping it doesn’t come off as nervous but as aloof. He hated that he wanted her to think he was aloof. He feels relief when she meets his eyes and smirks ever so slightly. “But I happen to be one that likes Chinese food.”

“Good.” She nods and he swears he can see a twinkle in her eyes or maybe it’s a hint of mischief. Maybe both. He decides then and there that whatever look it is, he likes it. More than he probably should.

He watches her walk towards the door and stop just before she’s out of sight. She glances over her shoulder at him, looking at him expectantly. “Aren’t you coming?”

__

Friday night Chinese Food becomes their tradition. Even after the kitchen staff arrives and the pantry and coolers are filled with food. Every Friday for the five weeks that follow they sneak out, get Chinese and head back to her dorm room.

They spend those nights getting to know the little things about each other. Her favorite color is black. His is grey. He smiles when she says, _“God, we’re boring.”_ Because for whatever reason hearing her refer to them as a ‘we’ sends a chill down his spine. He wants to be a screenwriter. She wants to be an actress. Her favorite musician is Louis Armstrong and she rolls her eyes and calls him pretentious when he tells her ‘The Beatles’ are overrated. He can’t help but smile at that too.

They argue over literature and old Hollywood films. She can’t believe he favors _On the Road_ over _Pride and Prejudice_ or that he has yet to watch _Singin’ in the Rain_ and refuses to talk to him until he agrees to watch it. Which he does and they do.

But she doesn’t object when he plays her Radiohead and Soundgarden while they’re on the floor of her dorm, backs against the side of her bed, sharing a pair of headphones. He watches her sway to Marcy Playground, eyes closed, lips pressed into an amused smile and suddenly he’s terrified. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was here to write. He wasn’t supposed to get attached to a pretty rich girl. Not when nothing would come of it.

In a few weeks he’d be fifteen and already he had a record bigger than the Louis Vuitton handbag she carried around with her and he hadn’t even started high school yet. He didn’t stand a fucking chance and he knew it.

__

A knock on his door pulls his attention away from the screen. Jughead glances at the time on his laptop. Bed check was at nine and it was ten minutes till midnight. And seeing as how it was his last full day in Manhattan, he wasn’t expecting anyone to be knocking on his door this late. Not even the one friend he did make. He’s pleasantly surprised when the person lets themselves in and its Veronica, two to-go cups in hand. He sits up, yanking his headphones from his ears as she crosses the room to him, a genuine smile plastered across her face.

Her smile fades, however, when she notices the headphones. She gives him a frown. “Jones, I swear if you’re still listening to Pearl Jam I’m going to have to stage an intervention.”

Jughead chuckles softly, closing his laptop shut as she takes the empty spot next to him. "I was working on my essay.”

“I figured.” Veronica nods, handing him one of the cups. “Hence the fuel. How’s it going anyway? Still having writers block?”

“Nah, I actually just finished.” He sighs, sitting up even straighter to take a few sips. He never liked coffee before he met her. He always wondered how his dad willingly downed the stuff every morning. He was more a milkshake kinda guy. Or so he thought. “Y’know I don’t know how I’m going to break my new addiction to my friends back home.”

Veronica furrows her brows, confusion coloring her face. When he takes another sip and playfully flutters his eyes she catches on and can’t help but smile. “Simple. You tell them you left for New York an uncultured barbarian and returned an uncultured barbarian _with taste_.”

“I think if I say that _they’ll_ be the ones staging an intervention.”

Veronica smiles but this one doesn’t reach her eyes. He wonders if it’s just hit her that this is their last night together. That they won’t see each other again for another year and that’s if she decides to return next year. And if he can afford it. That he doesn’t tell her.

“I can’t believe the next time we’ll see each other we’ll be going into our sophomore year.” She says quietly, confirming his suspicion. She kicks off her shoes and pulls her knees up to her chest as she scooches closer to him. She rests her head against his shoulder and Jughead closes his eyes. “That feels like a lifetime away.”

Jughead sighs and nods, only opening his eyes when he feels her soft small hand interlock with his.

“Who knows –” She continues, her thumb running across his knuckles. “Maybe we’ll be telling each other all about our firsts when we see each other again.”

“Firsts?” He questions, quirking an eyebrow up as he turns to look at her. She’s closer than he thought. He licks his bottom lip.

“Yeah you know—” She slowly drops her legs so they’re side by side with his. “First dance, first real kiss…”

“Should I be insulted that you think I’ve never been kissed?” He teases.

Veronica raises her brows up at him. “Have you?”

Jughead nods. “Fifth grade. Ethel Muggs.”

Veronica stares at him blankly before bursting into a fit of laughter.

“That counts!” Jughead argues but Veronica has yet to stop giggling.

“No, it doesn’t!” She shakes her head at him, smiling, “I said _real_ kiss, Jones. Anything before the age of 13 doesn’t count.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.” She looks at him pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were a connoisseur of kissing.”

“Apology accepted.” She replies, a smug smile on her lips as she slides off his bed and begins to put her shoes back on.

Jughead follows suit, reality setting in as he watches her head for his door. Possibly for the last time. “Where are you going?”

“It’s past midnight. I should go before they catch us and neither one of us gets invited back next year.”

“So this is… goodbye?” He asks and he feels silly when he does. It’s not like she was shipping off to war. He’d see her again tomorrow. Or at least he hoped he would.

“Not a goodbye.” She reassures him with a sad smile. “A _see you next summer_.”

Jughead nods. He didn’t want to spoil the moment by telling her he doesn’t know if he’ll be back next summer. That it was a miracle he was able to scrounge up enough money to pay for this one. That he’d be lucky if he could afford the train ride home tomorrow. He wants to tell her those things. But he’s too afraid to tell her the truth. “See you next summer.” He agrees not knowing what the future had in store but hoping that by some miracle he’d see her again.

He turns away as she makes her way to his door again.

“Hey, Jones?”

He turns around to face her, expecting her to be by the door or in the hall, but they’re face to face. His breath hitches in his throat as her hand reaches up to his neck and pulls him closer. And then she kisses him. And suddenly he knows exactly what she meant by a _real_ kiss. It’s slow and soft, comforting in ways he never imagined. Instinctively his hand rests below her ear, caressing her cheek as their breaths mingle. His heart flutters in his chest.

Veronica is the one to break the kiss, gently shoving him away. His eyes quickly find hers and there it is again. That twinkle, that mischief, that look. He swallows hard.

“Goodnight Jones.”

“Goodnight Lodge.”

__

Veronica isn’t there when everyone is saying their goodbyes the next morning. Jughead asks around and is told she was picked up the night before, a little after midnight.

It’s then and there he decides he’s going to look for an after-school job when he gets back home to Riverdale.

He _has_ to see her again.

He needs to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope this isn't confusing? if you are confused lemme explain  
> every other chapter is going to be a flashback to a year spent in NY with veronica  
> this ch. covers their first meeting and his first summer in manhattan  
> the next chapter will go back to present day and then the one after that will be about his second summer in NY  
> does that make sense? lol hopefully it wont be too confusing ive tried to make it easy to follow by **bold** ing the time and place before each chapter  
> lemme know wht ya think :)  
> 


	3. Chapter 3

Two months. It had been two months since Veronica Lodge waltzed back into Jughead’s life wearing her red bottom stilettos. Two months since she turned his entire world upside down. And in those two months she seamlessly integrated herself into everyday Riverdale life. She had sleepovers with Kevin and Betty. She hung out with Josie and her bandmates after school at Pops. She joined the River Vixens and cheered for Archie at all his games. She went shopping with Cheryl and shamelessly flirted with the guys on the football team. It was as if she belonged here all along. Something Jughead had a hard time swallowing.

But everyone loved her. Because how could they not? He was no stranger to the charms of Veronica Lodge. He knew first hand just how intoxicating her presence was. And yet, they barely acknowledged each other’s existence anymore. And he knew he was to blame for that.

Their intense, unmatched bond that thrived in New York had been reduced to awkward tension, bickering and angst-ridden stolen glances. The worst kind of torture.

It was almost like their time in New York never happened.

_Almost…_

__

“Can you believe there’s only a few days until Halloween?” Betty asks Jughead as she makes herself comfortable on the sofa in the student lounge. He sighs and nods, mainly to show that he’s listening to her ramble about the upcoming Halloween party at school. He had nothing against Halloween. It was actually his favorite holiday growing up. He and Archie would find the scariest masks they could find and spend their entire night seeing who could collect the most candy before midnight. His current look of disdain had everything to do with school dances.

Betty continues, “I was wondering if you wanted to go the couple-y route as far as costumes are concerned?”

“Costumes?” Jughead raises an eyebrow as he pushes himself to his feet and makes his way over to the vending machine. “Aren’t we a little old for that?”

Betty smiles at him, shaking her head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Juggie. What’s the point of going to a Halloween dance if we’re not going to dress up? You don’t have to go all out but a little effort would be nice.”

“I mean, I can’t really afford…” His voice trails off as Archie, Josie, Cheryl and Kevin walk in, making themselves comfortable in the empty seats around the room.

“What’re you guys going as?” Betty redirects her focus on Archie and Josie. “For the Halloween dance.” She clarifies when they give her a confused look.

“Oh we’re actually not sure if we’re going to go or not.” Josie replies, leaning back in her seat. Archie wraps his arm around her when she does and Jughead swears he sees Betty tense up before tearing her gaze away. He tries not to give it much thought. Convincing himself he imagined it or he was just projecting his own guilt onto her.

The guilt that intensifies when Veronica walks into the room. He clenches his jaw when he notices Reggie hot on her trail. He practically walks into her when she stops in the middle of the room. It takes everything in him not to roll his eyes. He slumps back into his spot next to Betty, tearing into his bag of chips as Veronica addresses the room.

“Do you guys have plans for Halloween yet?”

“We were actually just talking about the dance but… no one seems to want to celebrate.” Betty informs her with a pout.

“It’s not that we don’t want to celebrate, Bets.” Archie chimes in. “We just don’t want to go to the school dance. It’s more of a _been there, done that_ kinda thing.”

“Great!” Veronica smiles, clasping her hands in front of her, swaying on her feet. “I know it’s super last minute, but I’ve decided to throw a Halloween house party. Emphasis on the house party but –”

“At the Pembrooke?” Kevin sits up, clearly interested now.

“Of course.” Veronica shoots him a smile as she digs into her purse and pulls out invitations, handing them to everyone there. Jughead scoffs as he reads it over. It’s matte black with a deep burgundy foil lettering. Only Veronica would make a last-minute Halloween party seem like the Met Gala. “Costumes are optional but encouraged.”

“And attendance? Is that optional as well or?” Jughead says offhandedly as he tosses his invitation onto the coffee table in front of him, kicking up his legs to place his boots on it.

Veronica glares at him and he can tell she’s chewing on the inside of her cheek. He didn’t know why he was being an ass. Actually, that wasn’t true. He knew exactly why he was being an ass. Veronica had been ignoring him for two months and it seemed the only way he ever got her attention was when he was being an ass. But that didn’t make it okay, he knew that. Despite his self-sabotaging he wasn’t that stupid. He was just desperate. And he hated every second of it.

Veronica leans in to him, her perfectly manicured nails digging into the leather of his boots. He swallows hard as they come face to face. The closest they’ve been since New York. “Don’t worry Jones, I doubt anyone would notice if you didn’t show up.” And with that she hits his feet off the table.

There’s a beat of silence as their eyes are locked on each other. For a second he forgets there’s even anyone else in the room.

“He doesn’t mean that, V.” Betty interjects, forcing them to break eye contact. She shoots Jughead a look. “We’ll be there.”

__

Jughead can feel his hands go clammy as Betty tugs on his arm. The Pembrooke was the one place he avoided at all costs. At least when other people were around. Whenever Veronica would invite their friend group over, he’d always make an excuse as to why he couldn’t go. It usually was something pertaining to needing to catch up on school work or something happening with the Serpents. Obviously he couldn’t tell his friends the truth. That he didn’t know if he could handle being in that close of a proximity to Veronica. It always felt too personal. Walking the halls and sharing a class with her it was easy to force himself to pretend she wasn’t there. There was always dozens and dozens of other people around to drown out any tension. But being in her living room, or worse: her bedroom, just wasn’t a good idea.

Not to mention the fact that for the past two months he had found himself outside of the townhouse multiple times. He’d be out with the Serpents or taking a joy ride to clear his mind and he always ended up at the same place. The Pembrooke. He made it to the door a couple of times but always talked himself out of it.

And now here he was, standing outside of her door with Betty on his arm. He could hear the music from where they were standing, and the indistinct mumble of a dozen different conversations being held at once. They were late and if he was honest, it was completely intentional. He figured the later he was the less likely he’d be alone with her.

Betty knocks and his heart begins to hammer in his chest. “I don’t think anyone will get your costume, Jug.” She smiles at him, taking his hand in hers. The tassels on her flapper dress tickle his hand.

Before he can respond the door flies open and he’s surprised to see Reggie Mantle standing on the other side. Dressed like Tarzan. Or maybe it was George of the Jungle. He couldn’t tell and couldn’t care less. Reggie grins at them, holding the door wide open for them to come in. “Looking good Betty.” He smirks at the blonde as she does a little shimmy. His eyes rake over Jughead and furrow in confusion. “What’re you supposed to be, Donnie Darko?”

“Seth Gecko.” Veronica appears by his side, giving him a once over. “From Dusk till Dawn, right?”

Jughead nods once, running his sweaty hands against his pants. He allows himself to look her up and down. Her plaid mini skirt stopped just below her ass. Her white knee-high stockings contrasted perfectly against her dark navy-blue blazer that only buttoned in the middle, showing off her white lace bra and bright red bow tie. To anyone unfamiliar with Tarantino movies she might’ve looked like a sexy catholic school girl but the chain mace hanging from her shoulder told him she was Gogo Yubari.

“Ronnie’s some go-go girl.” Reggie informs them before turning away to poor himself another drink. Jughead snorts a laugh.

“Don’t they wear like bell bottoms and colorful floral patterns?” Betty knits her brows together.

“Gogo Yubari.” Veronica clarifies. “She’s a character in Kill Bill.”

“Oh! Well you look great.” Betty laughs.  
“Thanks, B.” Veronica squeezes her hand. “You look amazing, I’m loving the 1920s vibe.” Betty gives her a bashful smile. “Archie and Josie are around here somewhere. They’re dressed as Kelly Kapowski and Zack Morris. It’s pretty adorable.”

“I’m going to go say hi.” Betty’s smile fades a little as she turns to Jughead. “Be nice.”

Jughead and Veronica watch as she walks away, disappearing into the small crowd. A beat of silence passes before they reluctantly turn to each other.

“You know I was expecting you to be Holly Golightly or something really obvious.” He teases.

Veronica rolls her eyes. “Funny. I wasn’t expecting you at all.”

Another beat of silence.

Jughead steals another glance at her. The last time they were alone was at Pop’s diner her first night in Riverdale. There were so many things he wished he had said. And so many things he wished he didn’t say. The fact that they had gone from lovers to strangers in a matter of weeks was a hard pill to swallow. Not to mention the fact that she now lived five minutes from his trailer was still something he hadn’t wrapped his head around yet. How long would it take before the mere mention of her would no longer send his heart racing? How much torture could he endure?  
He glances around the room before returning his attention to her. The irony of them both being the only ones dressed as Quentin Tarantino characters wasn’t lost on him. “You do look great though.” He lets his words linger before continuing, “Although I’m pretty sure Gogo wore a shirt underneath her blazer.”

Veronica chews on her bottom lip, taking a step toward him. “What’s wrong, Jones?” She slowly, and subtly, adjusts her blazer so it exposes even more of her cleavage. “Are my tits bothering you?”

Jughead pauses, not expecting her to be so brazen. At least not in their current atmosphere. He gazes down at her exposed cleavage, clenching his jaw as he forces himself to meet her smug smile. He can’t help but smirk at her in return. He takes a step closer, feeling a rush as their hands just barely brush against each other. A hundred different thoughts whirl through his mind as he studies her. A hundred different memories fight their way to surface.

Memories of a life they once shared. A life that almost felt like a fever dream at this point. Jughead opens his mouth, determined to match her boldness but a knock on the door stops him. They both freeze. He takes a step back with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in hopes that it’ll help him shake whatever spell he was under. He watches her exhale in frustration before tearing her eyes away from him.

Veronica turns away, her hostess persona coming to the forefront once more as she opens the door. The first thing Jughead notices is the person’s costume. Poison Ivy from the DC Universe. He isn’t surprised when he realizes that person is Cheryl Blossom. He is, however, surprised when he sees the girl on her arm.

His stomach is in knots as Cheryl introduces her to Veronica.

“I don’t think you two have met yet.” Cheryl smiles as she pulls the girl closer. “Veronica this is mon chéri, Toni.”

Toni smiles but the confusion on her face isn’t hard to miss when she looks between Jughead and the raven-haired beauty beside him. “Veronica… _Lodge_? As in, New York Veronica Lodge?” She asks and looks to Jughead as she does.

He’s hoping she can sense his panic or take a hint as he subtly shakes his head. Luckily for him, both Veronica and Cheryl don’t seem to notice. They seem amused by her confusion.

“Toni’s heard a lot about you, no doubt.” Cheryl informs her with a laugh, “And God knows what the Serpents have been saying.”

Veronica quickly looks to Jughead, eyebrows furrowing, before lulling her head to one side, “Oh, you’re a Serpent too?”

“Yeah that’s actually how–”

“Speaking of the Serpents, can I talk to you for a second, Toni?” Jughead interrupts her, giving her a look of agency.

He doesn’t really give her a chance or an opportunity to say no. He’s already glaring, motioning for her to follow him. Veronica looks between them, a curious look on her face. Her lips part as if she’s about to say something but thankfully Cheryl chimes in with an eyeroll. “Go ahead, I’ll get us some drinks.” She lets go of Toni’s hand and locks arms with Veronica and the two of them walk off. But not before Veronica tosses him one last look over her shoulder.

Jughead looks around and ushers them down the hall into an empty room. It’s dark so he isn’t aware of where he’s standing until Toni flips on the lights. He hesitates when he realizes they’re standing in Veronica’s room. Or at least what he assumed was Veronica’s room. It’s nothing like what he imagined it’d be but that’s a thought for another time.

“I’m so confused.” Toni crosses her arms, “What the hell is going on? Is that –”

“Yes.” Jughead cuts in before she can even finish her question. “But no one knows so can you please not say anything?”

“No one knows? What do you mean no one knows? She literally goes to your school now. We’re at her party.”

“I know, I know but no one _knows_ that we know each other from New York.”

“And why the hell not?” Toni looks at him incredulously. He knew what it must’ve sounded like. He also knew he was 2 seconds away from getting smacked upside the head if he didn’t tell her the truth.

Jughead sighs. “You’re the only person I ever told about her.”

Her face falls. A familiar look of disappointment etched on it. “Seriously?”

He nods. Toni exhales and paces away from him. After a few seconds she stops and spins around to face him again. “You told me she was your dream girl.”

Jughead scoffs defensively. “What the hell did I know? I was barely fifteen when I met her.” Toni shakes her head in disbelief as he continues. “I was just some trailer trash kid who was infatuated with a pretty rich girl. One who, by the way, hates me now so—”

“Ah, okay, I see what’s going on.” Toni smiles knowingly. Jughead’s glare intensifies. “If you convince yourself your feelings for her never meant anything, that it was just some stupid misplaced crush, then it’s easier for you to accept that she hates you.”

He ruminates on it before looking away. She was right. They both knew it. He just wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of hearing him say she was right. Not now anyway. He clenches his jaw as his eyes fall on the pictures on her shelf, his breathing hitches at one in particular. Completely forgetting Toni’s even in the room with him, he walks right over to it and takes it off the shelf to get a better look.

The silver frame contained four photos. The first was a selfie she took of her and her mother in the town car on the way to Manhattan Prep before Freshmen year. The only reason he knew that was because she showed it to him one night when they were on the floor of her bedroom eating take out. She asked him if he thought they looked alike. He can still perfectly remember the conflicted look on her face when he told her the resemblance was uncanny.

The second photo was one she must’ve taken on one of her last days there. He recognized all the girls in the photo, even remembered all the code names they made up for them the night he tried champagne for the first time. The third was one that was too familiar. He vividly remembered taking it. It was their third summer at Manhattan Prep, and she was excited that she had gotten the dorm room with the big corner windows. The picture was of her, sprawled out on her bed after jumping on it, an uncharacteristic ear-to-ear grin adorning her face.

The fourth photo, however, was the one that stuck out the most to him for the simple fact that he was in it. A photo he hadn’t seen before or was even aware that it was taken. It was of him and Veronica on day 1 of their last summer together. He remembered the panic he felt as his eyes searched the crowded room looking for one familiar face in particular. And then he heard her voice. Heard her call out his name. In the photo his back was facing whoever took it and it must’ve been snapped after he placed her back down because the height difference was almost comical. But if you looked close enough you could see his hands caressing Veronica’s cheek as she looked up at him. Seeing that look on her face again sent a shiver through him. He couldn’t remember the last time she looked at him like that.

He’s so engulfed in the pictures that he doesn’t hear or feel Toni walk up behind him. Her voice startles him back to reality. “Yeah.” She pats him on the shoulder, her tone sarcastic. “That’s the face of someone who hates you.”

She makes it to the door before he remembers why they were even in Veronica’s room in the first place. “Toni—” He calls out, catching her just before she disappears.

She shifts her head to the side to look at him and sighs. “Don’t worry Jug, your secret is safe with me… for now.”

He doesn’t want to push it, so he nods. Reluctantly he puts the frame back on the shelf and takes a step back. Now that he’s alone he allows himself a second to take her room in.

The light lavender walls and the beautiful artwork that lines them. The snow colored mink rug underneath his dirty, worn-down boots. Her silver and white tufted queen size bed. The small white bookshelf next to her bed that’s filled to the brim with literature. Even in Riverdale he didn't fit in to her life.  
  
He exhales deeply, taking one last glance around before forcing himself to leave, closing the door behind him.

__

“Jug! There you are!” Betty’s voice cuts through the music as he feels an arm link around his. “I was beginning to think you bailed.”

“And miss out on seeing Reggie and Moose compete in who can get the most shitfaced? I wouldn’t dream of it.” He answers dryly, accepting the red solo cup she hands him. He doesn’t bother asking what’s in it, he just downs the whole thing. Betty gives him a look as he wipes some of the liquid off his chin.

“Everything okay?”

Before he can answer Cheryl calls attention to herself in the middle of room and the mischievous smirk on her face gives him a bad feeling. She was on a roll tonight. “Since Veronica’s the new girl we don’t really know anything about her and she doesn’t really know anything about us, so I propose we play a little game of truth or dare.” Cheryl smiles wickedly as she turns to face the group, “Besides, what’s a Halloween party without a little chaos, right?”

Veronica pauses. “Um –”

“Right.” Cheryl cuts her off. Everyone hesitantly makes their way over. There’s only about 20 people there so some pile onto her expensive white sofas while the others get comfortable on the floor. Jughead decides to stand while Betty takes one of the few empty chairs.

“I’ll start.” Cheryl gazes around the room and for a split second her eyes lock on Jughead. Toni said she would keep his secret. Surely he had nothing to worry about. Right? “Moose.” Jughead sighs in relief as she smiles at the football player, “Truth or dare.”

Moose stalls for a second before shrugging. “Dare.”

Cheryl’s smile widens. “I dare you to kiss someone in this room that you’ve slept with.”

The group breaks out into laughs and whistles as Moose looks around the room before clumsily crawling over to Midge Klump which wasn’t a surprise to anyone. The two of them dated for like the first three years of high school. In fact, choosing her seemed like a bit of a copout. The kiss is short and sweet and if Jughead were being honest it looked like Midge enjoyed it a lot more than Moose did.

“Okay Cheryl.” Moose smiles, wiping the lip-gloss from his mouth as he faces the red head. “Truth or dare.”

“Truth.” She replies without hesitation.

“Who’s the better kisser, Toni or Josie?”

Muffled gasps and subdued snickering fills the room. Jughead shifts his weight from foot to foot as he watches Cheryl’s little game backfire. From the look on Josie’s face it was clear she didn’t want anyone to know that they kissed and from the look on Cheryl’s face it was clear she was going to be out for blood. He makes brief eye contact with Veronica who seems completely out of the loop. Josie smacks Reggie on the arm, outing him as the culprit who spilled the beans.

Reggie leans back, blocking his mouth with his hand to cover the fact that he was laughing. Cheryl snarls at him. “Oh you think that’s funny?” She glares. Jughead wasn’t about to point out the fact that Cheryl never answered the question out of fear of becoming her next target, so he remains silent as she scans the room for her next victim. Toni must’ve had the same idea because she too remains quiet, slumping further into Cheryl’s side. “Truth or dare, Veronica?”

Veronica looks around the room, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Dare”

Cheryl smirks. “I dare you to show everyone the dick pics Reggie sent you.”

“Woah wait a minute.” Reggie attempts to break through the laughter and the ooo’ing that’s suddenly filled the room again.

Veronica looks at her, mortified. “I’m not going to do that, Cheryl.”

Jughead swallows hard. He could’ve gone his whole life without knowing Reggie Mantle was sending Veronica nudes. He begins to wonder if they were reciprocated but stops himself before he starts to spiral. He wasn’t going to allow himself to go there. Not now. Not here.

“Fine.” Cheryl purses her lips as she sits back in her chair and crosses her arms and legs simultaneously. “Then I dare you to kiss Archie. On the lips. Hard.” She says the last part with a little too much emphasis, staring past Veronica, directly at Josie.

Jughead can feel his stomach tying in knots. Josie folds her arms and shakes her head in disbelief. Archie looks at her for approval. “Go ahead.” Josie snaps, still haven’t broken her glare at Cheryl. “It’s just a stupid kiss. Something _Cheryl_ doesn’t seem to get.”

The redhead purses her lips into a scowl but the room is quiet now. Everyone seems to be at the edge of their seat, except for Josie and Cheryl who are determined to finish the unsolicited staring contest they’re having. Veronica pushes herself up and slowly walks over to Archie who’s sat on the floor next to Josie’s feet. He sits up straighter as Veronica reaches out and cups his face between both her hands. There’s a lingering moment where they’re looking each other in the eye and Jughead’s blood starts to boil. He’s tempted to get up and walk away but he knows he can’t do that without drawing suspicion to himself. He glances at Betty who’s staring at the pair with an intensity he can’t quite put his finger on. Reluctantly he looks back just in time to see their lips pull apart. Veronica walks away and sits back in her seat. Archie, on the other hand, looks like he’s struggling to catch his breath.

Josie breaks her stare at Cheryl and turns to look at Archie who’s having a hard time covering up the fact that he enjoyed the kiss. Enjoyed it a little too much for someone who has a girlfriend. He can’t wipe the smile off his face but now it’s Josie who looks like she’s out for blood. “Truth or dare, Betty.”

His smile is gone in an instant at his girlfriend’s words. Archie shakes his head at Josie ever so slightly as if he’s anticipating what she’s going to say. Betty looks caught off guard. She chuckles nervously as she looks around the room.

Kevin speaks up, “It’s actually Veronica’s turn –”

“Shut up Kevin.” Both Cheryl and Josie snap, interrupting him before he can finish.

“Truth or dare, Betty.” Josie repeats.

Betty briefly looks up at Jughead before answering. “Truth?”

Josie looks at Archie who’s already hanging his head. Veronica seems to have caught on to something or maybe she’s just trying to save the evening, but she stands up and clears her throat. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

On some level Jughead agrees. They most definitely should call it a night. But the look on Archie’s face... the way he seems to be avoiding eye contact with him tells him he needs to know the answer to whatever question Josie’s about to ask. “No. Not yet. I wanna know the question.”

Archie finally looks up at him and the look on his face tells him everything he needs to know. Veronica takes another step forward and Jughead meets her gaze but he shakes his head ‘no’ to stop her from saying anything more. She stops. They all look at Betty expectantly. “Go ahead Josie.”

Josie leans forward, resting her forearms on her lap. She looks at Betty. “Is it true you confessed your feelings to Archie at the beginning of this summer before you knew he and I were dating only to conveniently end up with Jughead, his best friend, after Archie rejected you?”

A beat of silence passes. The tension in the air is thick and heavy.

Nobody says anything. Not even Cheryl who usually laps this kind of drama up. Everyone is staring at Betty, waiting for her to answer or react, apart from Archie who’s hanging his head and Veronica whose eyes are locked on Jughead.

After what feels like an eternity Betty stands and faces Jughead, her tear-filled eyes answers the question without her having to say anything. “We should go somewhere and talk.”

__

A million different thoughts cloud Jughead’s mind as he pushes through the entry doors of the Pembrooke. First and foremost, he felt stupid. He wished he had asked her more questions when he came back from New York this summer. He wished he would’ve asked about her feelings for Archie or what sparked the sudden interest in him. But most of all he wished he wasn’t wearing this fucking costume.

With a frustrated exhaled breath, he runs both hands through his hair and leans up against the street light, waiting for Betty to catch up. The second she said she wanted to talk he was out of there. It takes all of thirty seconds for her to show her face. She slowly pushes through the doors and wanders over to him, her eyes still brimming with tears. And that’s when he feels the guilt. Like bile sitting on his throat.

Did he even have a right to be upset about this when he’s been secretly pining for Veronica these past two months? Or past four years if he were being honest with himself.

Turns out they were both liars.

“So—” He sighs before continuing, “Were you using me to make Archie jealous or did you actually have feelings for me?”

Betty stalls. Jughead gives her a few seconds to regain her composure. When the hesitation doesn’t end he huffs and begins to walk away which prompts her to finally speak.

“Do you remember when we started emailing back and forth this summer?” She takes a step toward him. Jughead nods. He remembered thinking how strange it was that she sent him 4 emails in the span of two days. He remembered thinking whatever she wanted to talk about must have been important because it was the first time in his four years of going to Manhattan Prep that she reached out. He remembered confiding in Veronica about how random it was.

Betty continues, “I won’t lie… I initially reached out because I was sad and angry at Arch for rejecting me and for not telling me about Josie sooner… but talking to you helped me forget about the fact that Archie broke my heart and along the way I found myself developing feelings for you. That part wasn’t a lie!” She takes a deep breath. “I didn’t tell you about my feelings for Archie because I didn’t want you to feel like a second choice or an afterthought…”

“But I was—” Jughead cuts in. “An afterthought.” He clarifies. “You never would’ve emailed me unless Archie broke your heart.”

Betty doesn’t respond. Jughead sighs. They allow another beat of silence to pass between them before he continues. “Maybe we should just end this now before anyone gets any more hurt.”

“ _Jug._ No.” She reaches out and grabs him, linking their hands together. He gazes down at their interlocked fingers and feels a knot form in his stomach. “I really wanna make it work. Please.”

“Bets—” He exhales deeply, slowly prying his hand out of hers. “Listen, I – I haven’t been completely honest with you either which is… why I can’t even really be angry at you for keeping this from me.”

Betty frowns for a moment before a look of realization crosses her face. “Are you talking about Veronica?”

“Wh—” Jughead freezes. Panic courses through him. “How did you—”

“She told me.”

Jughead furrows his brows. Was he hearing this correctly? This entire time he had been waiting for the other shoe to fall and she already told her? He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Veronica did?” He blinks several times in an attempt to wrap his head around it. He hesitates for a moment. There was no way he was out of the woods just yet. “…told you _what_ , exactly?”

“That you two know each other from when you went to Manhattan prep.” Betty answers like it’s obvious. “She said you two ran in the same circle.”

_Oh._

She told him the abridged, PG-13 version.

Jughead swallows the lump in his throat. “She told you that?”

“Yeah, she also said that you’re embarrassed that you used to be friends with _someone like her_ which is why you never said anything.” She reaches out for him again this time wrapping her hand around his arm. “Is that not true?”

_Embarrassed._ Jughead mutters it so softly under his breath he’s sure Betty doesn’t hear him. Veronica thought he was embarrassed by her? That’s why she thinks he never said anything? He shakes his head in disbelief, breaking Betty’s hold on him in the process. In what world would _he_ be embarrassed by _her_?

“Juggie—”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” He finally looks up at her.

Betty shrugs. Her eyes are still glistening with the tears from earlier. “I figured it wasn’t important and since you’ve barely looked at her let alone mentioned New York I figured she was telling the truth and it was best to just leave the past in the past… I mean, should I be worried…about Veronica? Is there something between--”

“Should I be worried about Archie?” He replies without hesitation.

Neither of them say anything. Jughead looks up at the Pembrooke. Betty looks down at her feet. “Just answer me this—” He holds her gaze this time, “If Archie had reciprocated your feelings would we even be having this conversation right now? Would we even be together? Would you have even emailed this summer at all?”

Her eyes gloss over and Jughead watches as she struggles with what to say. The silence is deafening. He nods his head. Her lack of answer is answer enough. “That’s what I thought.”

“Jug, wait –”

He shakes his head. “I think we should just take a break away from each other, give ourselves some time to think about all this.”

Betty looks like she’s going to fight him on it. Like she’s going to fight for him. But she decides against it, nods in agreement and takes a step back. “If that’s what you want, Juggie.”

He doesn’t bother with a response. He shoves his hands into his pockets and begins his trek to the Whyte Wyrm where his Serpent jacket and bike were waiting. He knew he had a lot to think about, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief.

But that relief is short lived as he begins to replay the events of the night.

What the fuck was he going to do now?

____

The answer comes to him at half past 2 in the morning. He didn’t bother going home after getting his jacket and bike. He decided to stay at the Whyte Wyrm and now here he is, 5 beers in, paying half-attention to Sweet Pea talk about his run in with the Ghoulies. He knew he should’ve been focused. As the leader of a gang it was imperative that he knew what the fuck was going on at all times. The problem? He couldn’t stop thinking about Veronica. About how good she looked in that mini skirt. Or the look on her face in that picture on her shelf of the two of them. He blamed it on the beers but he knew that if he closed his eyes hard enough he could remember how incredibly soft and smooth her skin felt against him. How she’d take his bottom lip between her teeth whenever she was straddling him. How being with her felt like every single one of his senses were heightened.

He missed that feeling.

He wanted to feel that again.

So he goes to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sry it's been a minute my wifi crashed and it took longer than i thought getting it fixed  
> the next ch will be another flashback to their 2nd yr in NY together which will explain how toni knew who veronica was  
> i'd love some feedback esp. on whether or not i should even continue this one idk lmk wht you guys think  
> i was posting ch. on my tumblr (jeronicainfiction) but i think if i do continue ill only update/post them here
> 
> also sry this ch. kinda sucks! its kind of a filler one.  
> <33


	4. Chapter 4

**Three Years Ago**  
**Manhattan, New York**

His heart hammers in his chest as he makes his way through the not so unfamiliar halls of Manhattan Prep. The uncertainty and insecurities he had last year were now replaced with curiosity and yearning for whatever was to come. His eyes scan the crowd of students and although they lock with a handful of familiar faces none of them are the one he’s looking for. None of them are _her_.

He begins to feel nervous as he walks further into the building. They never exchanged numbers the last time they were here, not that he even had a cell number to give her, so he has no idea what to expect or if he should even be expecting her at all. He wonders if she looks any different. He’d been told by a handful of faculty members that he did. They all comment on his height and his longer, floppier hair and all he can think of was whether or not Veronica would make some witty joke about it or if she’d even notice at all.

He wonders if she’ll smell the same. If she still uses that gardenia and sandalwood scented shampoo. He wonders if she’s changed at all. The way he knows he has. He wonders if she could grow to like this version of him though he doubts it. Betty and Archie hate it. They hate his snake embroidered jacket and the darkness the southside seemed to be drowning in and it made him wonder if maybe that meant that they hated him too, but he tried not to give that one too much thought.

He still hasn’t decided if he was going to tell Veronica about any of it. Getting jumped into a gang and signing away your youth to violence and petty crime didn’t seem like something she’d be able to understand or relate to. And a part of him was afraid she’d look at him the way Betty had when he showed up at Pop’s bruised and bloody and branded in leather. The disappointment and disgust etched in her green eyes was seared into his brain and he didn’t know if he could take it if Veronica shared the same sentiment as his bubbly blonde friend.

As welcome back speeches are made, he wonders if he’ll even see her at all. Although he still wants to be a writer and NYU is still his dream school he would be lying if he said she had nothing to do with him returning a second year. She remained a constant in his mind as he scrubbed dishes at Pop’s and helped Mr. Andrews down at the construction site. He was determined to see her again and now he has to face the possibility that maybe that feeling wasn’t mutual.

By the time he makes it to his dorm room, same one as last summer’s, he’s accepted that he’ll probably never see her again. That last time was the last time and he’s already kicking himself for not ensuring he’d see or speak to her again. It’s a hard pill to swallow but he does albeit reluctantly.

He goes to bed that night with a pit in his stomach and an ache in his heart.

__

Jughead wakes dazed and disoriented. The blinding June sun shining into his blue eyes from the open window causes him to grunt and curse under his breath, using his pillow to shield himself from the outside world. He knows that the program doesn’t technically start until Monday which meant that if he really wants to he could spend the rest of the weekend in bed. It’s not like he has anyone there to convince him otherwise. Although the universe seems to be out to get him, that much is obvious by the lingering smell of croissants and coffee that’s permeated his room. Even with his face muffled into the sheets he swears he can smell the faintest scent of a hauntingly distinct familiar luxury perfume. And that’s when it hits him.

He never opened the windows last night.

He turns his head, his heart beating erratically in his chest again, and slowly but surely pokes his head out from underneath the pillow. And his heart ceases to beat at all.

He blinks the sleep out of his eyes unable to form a cohesive thought as he looks at Veronica. She has yet to notice that he’s awake and the pastry bag and to go cups of coffee sitting on the table next to her confirms his senses. He gazes at her, taking in her appearance as much as he can before she realizes he’s awake. She’s sat in his corner chair, her heels kicked off on his floor and her knees tucked up to her chest showcasing her tan legs. Her skin looks sun kissed and glowy and Jughead has a hard time looking away from it. Her ebony hair that was kept short and straight the summer before had grown out a significant amount, falling down past her chest in big voluminous curls. From where he was laying, he could see that she was deeply focused on the book that was perched on her lap. One hand mindlessly twirled a strand of her hair as the other followed along the words on the pages.

She was even more stunning than he remembered.

As he shifts in bed her concentration breaks and she glances up at him through her long dark lashes. A soft smile coloring her face when she sees that he’s awake and watching her. Jughead smiles in return. “Your coffee’s probably cold by now.” She says casually before returning her attention to her book.

“Good morning to you too.” He says sarcastically as he stirs and groggily pushes himself up, unable to wipe the subtle smile off his face as he reaches over and downs it. He couldn’t believe she was actually sitting there in his dorm again. He felt like he was dreaming.

As he begins to tuck into the croissants Veronica closes her book, which he can now see is Pride and Prejudice, and gives him her undivided attention. “So what’s this I hear about you being a string bean now?” Her eyes glide over him and suddenly he feels subconscious. “From what I remember you were already a giant how it possible you’ve gotten taller?”

Jughead chuckles, tearing into another croissant. “Everyone’s a giant compared to you, Thumbelina.”

Veronica scoffs in mock defense, shaking her head at him with a smile. “Harsh Jones. Real harsh.”

He playfully rolls his eyes at her antics, shoving the rest of the pastry in his mouth as he watches her stand to her feet. He swallows hard as he looks her over. Her black bodycon dress hugs her body in all the right places, accentuating the curves he didn’t even realize she had before. She motions for him to stand and he stares at her in confusion. “Well come on. I have to see it for myself.”

“See what?” He wipes the crumbs off his lap as he looks up at her. She crosses her arms and looks at him incredulously.

“Ugh Jones stop making it weird and just stand up already the suspense is killing me.” She reaches out and grabs his arm, yanking him to his feet.

The room goes silent. It’s now apparent to them both how much taller he actually is. Veronica has to crane her neck to look at him. The silence stretches a little further before they both burst into laughter.

And as their laughter dies down Veronica wraps her arms around his waist and pulls him in for their first hug of the summer.

__

Their second hug happens the first week of July. It’s a Friday night, the end credits of The Princess Bride is the only form of light in her room as they lie in her messy, unmade bed. Jughead’s on his back, eyes to the ceiling while Veronica’s on her side unabashedly staring at him. “You seem different.” She says in almost a whisper. There’s a genuine curiosity in her tone that makes him feel like maybe he can be honest with her about everything that happened this past year. With his father. With the Serpents. But as he turns and he’s met with her big brown eyes he remembers the disgusted look on Betty’s face and he can’t bring himself to do it.

“Bad different?” he asks, hanging on to her every word.

She shakes her head no and he releases the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Just different.” She reiterates, and her soft, small hand finds its way to his arm and begins to trace shapes onto his exposed skin. Her gaze has yet to break from his. “It’s like you’re still you but there’s this—”

“Darkness?” He assumes, looking down at their now interlocked hands. He silently marvels at how well they seem to fit together.

“No.” She shakes her head again, stealing his attention away from their hands. “It’s not darkness… it’s more like… pain?”

Jughead swallows harshly. One look into those big chestnut colored eyes and he felt as if she could see right through him. It was like she was looking directly into the pit of his soul. She didn’t see the darkness his friends back home saw, she saw pain and suddenly he’s never felt more vulnerable.

He chuckles nervously, trying to downplay the heaviness of their conversation. He tries to deflect. “Pain? Is that a code word for daddy issues because I’ve got plenty of ‘em?”

Veronica studies him for a moment and he can tell she knows that was a piss poor attempt at redirecting the conversation. But she doesn’t fight him on it. Doesn’t push. She simply rolls her eyes and smiles. “Daddy issues huh? Spoken like a true rich kid.”

Jughead tenses up. Sometimes he forgets Veronica has no idea that he’s Southside trash. That he lives in a trailer park with a drunk dad and absentee mom. That he isn’t some trust-fund baby from Connecticut who goes to private school. And sometimes there’s nothing he wants more than to tell her the truth.

But then she wraps her arms around his torso and buries her face into his side and the fear of her hating him becomes too much to bear. And he can’t bring himself to do it. And he hates himself for it.

Instead he pulls her in closer, rests his chin on her head and wishes more than anything that things could be different.

_______

“His name is Nick St. Clair.” Veronica sighs as she kicks off her heels and climbs onto her bed. Jughead watches from the doorway as she begins to unpack the food she ordered for them to eat. He regrets asking if she was with anyone during the school year. He regrets it more than he regrets agreeing to get sushi tonight. He grimaces as she effortlessly picks up the roll with a pair of chopsticks and plops it into her mouth. She frowns when she notices he’s still standing by the door.

Veronica beckons him over and he relents although reluctantly. “He goes to your school?” Jughead asks as he finally takes the empty space across from her. He fiddles with the chopsticks in his hand as he waits for her to fill him in on any details she’s willing to give. His stomach is in knots and staring down at the raw fish on her bed isn’t making him feel any better.

“Yeah. He’ll be a junior this year.” She answers absent-mindedly, mixing the wasabi into the small pot of soy sauce. “I don’t know though… I mean… I don’t really—” She hesitates and looks up at Jughead, noticing he has yet to eat anything. “You don’t like sushi, do you?”

Jughead considers lying. He considers sucking it up and just eating the damn thing but the amused look on her face tells him there’s no point. She already knows the answer. “I did tell you I was an uncultured barbarian.”

She beams at him, shaking her head. “You left your chips in here the other day.” She motions to her desk. “I put them in the drawer.”

Jughead eagerly fetches them, grateful that she didn’t throw them away and even more grateful that she wasn’t going to force him to eat sushi. He plops down on her bed again, this time without hesitation, and begins to tuck in. “So, what were you saying before? About Nick?”

Veronica looks down at her food. “Oh, I – I don’t really think it’s going to last.”

“Why not?”

“I think he got what he wanted already…” She chews on her bottom lip as she answers. Jughead’s heart stops. A plethora of emotions crowd him at once. He doesn’t know how to respond. The one thing he does know is that if he ever meets this Nick St. Clair, he’s going to break his pretty little face. Veronica shrugs it off. “I guess we were also just too different, you know?”

Jughead nods. He does know. Maybe a little too well.

“Well what about you?” She sits up a little straighter, eyes locked on him. “Any girls?”

He stalls, shoving more chips into his mouth. The answer was… complicated. To say the least.

The truth was he did have a very short fling with one of the girl members of the Serpents. Toni Topaz. She was the first Serpent to really welcome him into the gang. She was funny and really into photography. But at the end of the day she just… wasn’t Veronica Lodge.

“There was this one girl.” He drawls it out. “Her name’s… Antoinette.”

Veronica raises her eyebrows. “How poetic. A writer falling in love with a girl named Antoinette. Was her first name Marie?”

Jughead snorts a laugh. “No and it definitely wasn’t love either.”

“Do tell.”

“We dated…if you can even call it that…for like a month maybe.”

“Any particular reason why it was so short lived?”

Jughead sighs. “She was more into this one girl...” She bites down a laugh as he continues. “Although we did kind of…”

Veronica’s brown eyes widen, her jaw agape. There’s a playful tone to her voice as she speaks. “Forsythe Jones are you telling me you’re not a virgin?”

“That’s right. My virtue is gone forever.” She playfully smacks him in the chest. “I mean she was really nice but there just wasn’t any spark there… besides I… I wouldn’t stop talking about this other girl so we were kind of doomed from the start.”

Veronica smiles at him. “And this other girl? What’s she like?”

Jughead smirks. “Kind of a brat. Super bossy…”

She scoffs, tossing one of her pillows at his face.

He catches it, chuckling in spite of himself. “But she’s also crazy intelligent and well spoken, she’s funny too and obnoxiously attractive.”

“Obnoxiously huh?” Veronica laughs, attempting to pry the pillow out of his hands.

Jughead doesn’t budge. He grips it tighter, pulling her in closer in the process. “Yeah you know the type… perfect olive skin, big brown eyes… hair like the night sky.”

Veronica rolls her eyes despite the smile on her face. “You know you should really consider working for Hallmark when you’re older.”

He smirks, “You think so?”

“Yeah and who knows maybe this girl you’re talking about can be your muse.”

Jughead looks at her, _really_ looks at her. Her long ebony curls framing her face, the twinkle of mischief in those fucking beautiful brown eyes. He knows there’s no going back now. “She already is.”

Veronica pauses, her grip on the pillow nonexistent as she gazes into his eyes. He can see her linger on his lips for a second before meeting his stare again. “Jones--” She whispers slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor it. She says it so soft and it sounds so lovely coming from her berry colored lips that he’s positive it’s now his favorite sound in the world. Never before has his name sounded so wonderful.

And then she kisses him and suddenly every thought is obliterated. He savors her lips and the quickening breath that was beginning to match his own. It was different than the kiss they shared last year. The one from before felt like a goodbye kiss. It was short and sweet but still left him feeling dizzy in the best sense. But this kiss? It felt intimate and electrifying. It was like a rush of euphoric bliss was injected into his veins.

Jughead exhales through his nose, not wanting to let go. He’d do everything he can to make it so it would never end. It was like his entire body had been taken over by the overwhelming feeling of desire. He moves his hand from her cheek to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her long, raven hair, lightly pulling her into him, deepening the kiss.

_Fuck._

Veronica moans into his mouth and now it’s like his body is on fire. The heat stretching to every inch, corner and crevice. “Veronica.” He trembles out her name as she slowly begins to undo the buttons on his shirt. Her burgundy nails glide across his bare chest before pushing his sleeves down.

There’s a moment where he thinks he should stop her, stop them from going any further but that moment ends when she presses a soft kiss to his collar bone. The raven-haired beauty pushes him down to the bed and straddles him. Their eyes are locked on each other as she begins to remove her top but suddenly, she stops.

Her breath hitches with a quick intake between her teeth. Her eyes are no longer locked on his but instead they’re staring down at his body. Realization hits him as he follows her gaze down to where she’s staring. The giant bruise covering his rib-cage and lower abdomen.

In all the overwhelming bliss of being with Veronica he forgot who he was. Forgot that there were reminders of his life back home embedded into his skin. Scars and bruises that still hadn’t healed peppered his skin never really allowing him to forget that he was no good Southside trash. He can’t bring himself to look her in the eye and he can’t look away from her perfectly manicured fingers hovering above his bruised skin. _What a contrast._ He thought bitterly to himself. _Beauty and the fucking beast._

“I—I got into some trouble but I’m fine now. I swear.” He attempts to reassure her, to prevent the moment from spiraling into something unnecessary.

Veronica studies him for a second before softly running her hand over his bruises. He winces as their skin makes contact again. Not because it hurts but because seeing her touch him there so delicately felt wrong. He was expecting her to grimace. To bombard him with a million questions he couldn’t answer. Scold him for getting caught up in the wrong crowd just like Betty and Archie did.

But it never comes.

Instead he watches her lean over, her midnight hair falling like a graceful curtain past her face, tickling his bare chest in the process. Jughead swallows hard as she plants kisses down his stomach. Her soft lips brushing against the purplish bruise coloring his skin. She looks up at him from under her long dark lashes. “Promise me you’re safe.”

“I promise.” He answers without hesitation. And he knew it was true. Despite what his two best friends thought, he never felt more safe than when he was with the Serpents. They were like a family to him. Something he never really had. He had their back and he knew they had his. No matter what.

“Good.” She says with so much finality that Jughead isn’t surprised it’s never brought up again.

___

The rest of the summer is filled with stolen kisses in the halls and prolonged make out sessions under Veronica’s duvet after lights out. With each day that passes Jughead finds it harder and harder to believe that come August he’ll have to say goodbye to her _again_.

They avoid the subject entirely, changing the topic with a passionate kiss whenever one of them mentions the upcoming school year. It’s just too hard. Too real.

“I don’t want to hold you back.” Veronica admits with a whisper the night before their last day, completely catching him off guard. Since there was no more work to be done they had spent the whole day watching their favorite movies and listening to music and making recommendation lists for the other to watch once they were back home. And now it’s two hours after lights out and they’re lying on his dorm room floor, Far Caspian’s _A Dream of You_ playing softly in their shared headphones. Jughead turns his head ever so slightly to look at her. She’s staring up at the ceiling, dark curls fanned out around her. Her eyes look like they might be glossed over but it’s hard to tell when the only source of light is coming from the moon outside his window.

“Back from what?” he responds in an even quieter tone.

“Living your life.” She ticks her eyes over to him. “I can’t be selfish… not with you.”

“Veronica, I—”

“We both know whatever this is has an expiration date.” Her voice is so soft he almost believes her. “I mean we’re barely 16 and we only get to see each other for 4 weeks out of an entire year. So maybe we should just… not think about it.”

Jughead furrows his brows, turning on his side to face her completely. Veronica does the same. “Think about what?”

“Any of it. When we’re together the outside world doesn’t exist. And once the program is over it’s like each other doesn’t exist. That way it’s never tainted.”

He considers it for a moment. Pretending like Veronica Lodge didn’t exist seemed impossible. He didn’t want to live in a world where that was his reality. He had gotten a small glimpse into heaven and he had no intention of ever giving that up. “There’s just one problem with that.”

“Which is what?”

Jughead cups her face in his hands, watching the way the moonlight glow cascades over her. He makes a mental note to commit this moment to memory. “I don’t want to pretend that you don’t exist when this is all over and to be honest with you Princess, I don’t fucking think I can.

“Then how about no strings attached?” She suggests, leaning in closer to him. “We have our fun together at Manhattan Prep. and then we go back to our lives and do whatever we want. No holding each other back from getting the full high school experience or whatever bullshit adults say to convince us it’s more consequential than it actually is.”

“Why’re you so positive you’d be holding me back? You sure it’s not the other way around?”

“I don’t ever want you to resent me… so even though I really like you and want nothing more than to never let this go, I know it’s for the best. We shouldn’t tie ourselves down. Not like this. Not now—”

“Veronica –”

“I mean it, Jones. Promise me you’ll live your life to the fullest whenever we’re apart.”

“Will you just shut the fuck up and kiss me?” He asks, not giving her a chance to answer before he’s closing the space between them with a kiss. It’s fiery and full of a thousand words he hasn’t said yet. And even though it quite literally feels like she’s setting his soul on fire every time her lips touch his he doesn’t actually expect for it to go any further.

But then Veronica’s hands are sliding up his chest, under his shirt. She hadn’t touched him there since she saw the bruises and for awhile he was sure it was because she hated the sight of them. His shirt is off and flung to the side in a matter of seconds. She doesn’t blink twice at the bruises that still have yet to heal completely. She doesn’t seem to care at all in fact.

Her lips are on his neck while her hands hastily undo his zipper. “Are you sure about this?” He asks through haggard breaths, feeling his hardness press up against her thigh.

“Will you just shut the fuck up and kiss me?” She reiterates.

The rest of the world becomes an unimportant blur that’s banished into the far recesses of his mind as Veronica deepens their kiss once more. Right now, the only thing that mattered was touching her more, kissing her more.

In what feels like the blink of an eye they’re completely undressed and tangled up underneath his sheets. Caught between the intoxication of climaxing and extending a moment they never want to end.

__

Jughead isn’t surprised to see that he’s alone when he wakes in the morning. He knew they were pushing it by sneaking into each other’s dorm every night but still, a part of him always wished she’d still be there in the morning. This morning was no different. Except now he wanted her there more than ever.

Her smell, her touch, even her kiss lingered in the air and on his skin. It was a cruel form of torture that he’d have to wait until next summer to even hear her voice again.

And then he notices it. Her copy of Pride and Prejudice, the one she had been reading while curled up in his chair at the beginning of the summer, was placed directly on top of his closed suitcase. He saunters over and picks it up before falling back onto his bed. He opens it up to the first page only to find Veronica’s handwriting scribbled across it.

_**Don’t forget to live your life to the fullest, Jones.** _  
_**But also, don’t forget to remember me.** _

With her phone number and email neatly written underneath it.


End file.
